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Over the past 15 years or so, the state of Maryland has witnessed a big increase in the number of people becoming involved in amateur hockey. Some may try to trace the beginning of the latest Maryland hockey boom back to the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals appearance by the Washington Capitals. Others say it was when NHL stars like Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Mike Green came to town and made the Capitals a perennial playoff contender, causing interest in hockey to reach peak levels in the surrounding areas. Still others point to the large number of northern “transplants”, who tend to migrate to Maryland in ever increasing numbers, and start their kids up in hockey just like they themselves started when they were kids back in places like Michigan, Massachusetts, or Canada.

While I definitely believe those things played a big part in hockey’s popularity growing in Maryland, I also feel the infectious nature of the game causes it to grow and grow all on its own. Once you play the game or become a fan of it, you are often hooked on this great sport for life, and that joy and passion tends to spread to those around you.

With all this new hockey growth come new rinks, new leagues, more teams, players, coaches, parents, and fans. As a hockey wife, fan, and supporter of this great sport, this could not make me happier.

With that spirit in mind, I would like to use my column this time around to spotlight a newly developed league that is doing its part in helping hockey to grow in Maryland.

The Mid-Atlantic Girls Hockey League (MAGHL) was formed here in Maryland during the 2012-2013 hockey season and they are now in their second season of operation. The MAGHL is currently made up of 6 girls high school hockey teams representing 5 Maryland high schools. The schools represented are the Academy of the Holy Cross, Archbishop Spalding High School (2 teams), the Bryn Mawr School, Holton-Arms School, and St. Timothy’s School.

Many of these teams have been competing in girls high school hockey league play for a number of years, but it was not until recently that they formed their own independent league operating outside of the Maryland Student Hockey League (MSHL). Even though the MAGHL consists of all Maryland teams at the moment, there should be nothing stopping girls high school hockey teams from other areas, such as nearby Virginia, from inquiring about joining the league.

Last season’s MAGHL league champion, the Holton-Arms School, is back again to defend their title this season. We will see if they can bring home another league championship or if another team has different plans in mind. I look forward to keeping tabs on how the MAGHL season plays out and you can too by checking out their schedule below!

So, here’s to the MAGHL and their efforts in helping hockey grow and thrive here in Maryland! We wish them and all of their teams much success this season and into the future.

Special thanks to Archbishop Spalding Girls Hockey Coach, Mike Adams, for speaking to me about the MAGHL.

Are there any more passionate people than those involved with hockey?!? Beginning with the passion of the players that take to the ice… who give it their all for their team, for their coach, for their own pride. A passion so intense that it is infectious… absorbed by the crowd, driving them to feel as emotional about what’s happening on the ice as if they are part of the game.

When I went to my first hockey game as a young teenager, it was only to keep my mother company as she went to support a friend at a men’s league game at the Piney Orchard Ice Arena in Odenton, Maryland. Who would have thought that an amateur hockey game would change my life forever? Not only would it pave the way to find my spouse, but it also introduced so many new ways to invigorate the senses.

Oh, the sounds! Skates cutting into the ice, the sticks slapping the puck, the bodies hitting the boards. The puck hitting the goalie pads… the boards… the goal posts. Then there’s the silence of the puck hitting the back of the net, followed by the cheers of the crowd. The grunts, the cursing, the words of encouragement, and the communication of team mates that contribute to the aura of hockey passion.

The plethora of sights with the bright white ice accentuating each individual while the 3 inch round black puck streaks across the ice, with bodies flying in acrobatic style, and players moving strategically like a chess match. There’s the beauty of the slapshot, of the perfectly timed tip-in, of the skilled backhand and the coordinated one-timer. Then there’s my personal favorite sights… the goalie beating the odds in unbelievable fashion by snatching the puck out of the air, throwing out his leg at the last second preventing the puck from crossing the goal line, the blocker deflecting the puck safely to the corner, and the stick reaching out behind him knocking the puck away just in the nick of time.

The feeling of the cold nipping at my nose despite it being 85 degrees outside… the feeling of the cold glass shaking against the palms of my hands… of the cold wet rubber puck that got deflected into the stands… and the wonderful sting of the high five from the hockey fan beside you.

The smells… well… yes, even the smell of sweat because it was the result of hard work… the stench of the hockey equipment that has absorbed those results of hard work for far too long without being washed… the smell of the Zamboni fumes and the distinct smell of freon when you walk into the rink.

Then, the most invigorating sense of the sweet taste of victory… or the bitter taste of defeat.

Not too long after I started attending men’s league games with my mom, I was invited to my first NHL game which prompted me to ask myself, “where has hockey been my whole life?!?” I was hooked and I proceeded to help the rest of my family to become hooked on hockey.

It wasn’t long after, when my little brother began playing for the Chesapeake Chiefs at the Piney Orchard Ice Arena. There I learned more about the passion for hockey from the opposing hockey team parents and even the occasional sparked passion between goalie parents on the same team.

The passion of hockey often goes beyond the rink. It influenced me to chat about hockey online with a guy that recently moved to the Washington, DC area. He used to play Junior A hockey in Michigan and had been away from the sport for a little while, not knowing if there was any hockey to play in his new home area. Oh, yes! Especially with the help of a recent Washington Capitals Stanley Cup run, there were plenty of opportunities to play recreational hockey in the Maryland/DC/Virginia area! We eventually met in person and I persuaded my future husband, Jeff, to have his goalie equipment shipped over from Michigan. You know the saying “better be careful for what you wish for”? Well, I didn’t know that action would then have me spending on average 3 nights a week at various hockey arenas within a 50 mile radius over the next 5 or so years! I never complained though, and even drove from long distances when I was out of town to not miss any of my husband’s hockey games.

Hockey has been and always will be a large part of my life. I’ve even had the pleasure of blogging about hockey and working at Hockey North America. I took my scorekeeper/statistician duties seriously to respect the efforts of the guys on the ice.

Of course hockey can be an expensive hobby, especially when we had season tickets for the Caps. However, memories of the youth and men’s hockey games, the tournaments, meeting many hockey icons such as The Hanson Brothers and retired NHL stars through Alumni games along with moments like playing pond hockey in Michigan, makes it invaluable. The conversations that hockey can trigger, creating new friends, relationships and perhaps even a spouse, all make it priceless.

Hockey is more than a sport… it’s a passion! What triggered you to become passionate about hockey?

PS: I thought my first article here would be a good way for you to get to know about me. From here on, however, this has to be about the glorious game of youth hockey played within our beautiful state. I’ll be combing Maryland arenas for news to share with you, but I surely could use your help. So please do contact me about newsworthy stories or events others in our state should know!